Cat's Cradle
by Zenon102
Summary: The red string that connects you to your one true love. But, to play with it---perhaps a game of Cat's Cradle? It's amusing, but in the end, it just repeats... Or does it all fall apart? Love triangles galore. Gaaru GaiLee NejiTen KibaHina KakaOC OC/OCxOC
1. Ch 1: The Transfer

Key: "talking"

'_Thinking'_

_Flashback_

(Standard key)

_Disclaimer: Do Not Own Naruto._

_--_

Chapter 1: The Transfer

Soft murmurs echoed within hallowed halls, the voices growing louder as more and more students entered the school, eyes alight and faces bright from the lingering memories of summer. Smiles were exchanged between teens as stories were told. Groups formed in the hallways with loud exclamations and exaggerated arm movements visible in the small crowds.

Arms waved wildly in the air as their owner recounted a story of water-skiing, their elbows knocking into a girl walking behind them.

"Sorry," the boy said, looking over his shoulder as he apologized. The girl turned, bangs shadowing her eyes as she nodded her head slightly before turning stiffly and staring at the floor. The boy stared at her for a minute before waving his friends to go somewhere else because the girl was starting to freak him out. The girl paid him no mind, too lost in her thoughts to notice when she felt a hand fall onto her shoulder. She tensed.

"Hands off, you fricking—!" she started before she found herself looking at a familiar head of shaggy hair. She blinked. "Oh, it's just you, RiRi. Sorry." Her friend merely waved it off.

"It's okay. So how was your summer, Megumi?" RiRi asked. Megumi shrugged. "Same old, same old. Have you gotten taller?" she asked suddenly, looking at her friend that seemed much taller than before. Last time she checked, RiRi was 5' 7" tall. Now, he seemed a good 5' 8"—5' 9" even.

"Nope. Boots," her friend answered lifting his feet so Megumi could see the black platform boots adorning them. She nodded, noticing the other things about how her friend was dressed. A scarf was tossed around his neck and the standard uniform-issue white button-up shirt and black pants, unlike her own uniform: a long-sleeved black dress that stopped above her ankles over a white button-up shirt with a large starched collar, white socks, and black shoes.

"So, you up for some exploring before school starts?" she asked.

"Later," came the monosyllabic reply.

"Later? Why later?" her friend inquired with sparkling eyes of interest.

"Because," he answered, twirling Megumi's long black hair around his fingers, smirking, "you didn't get your schedule." He lifted the strands of hair to his lips and kissed them gently.

"Oh right," Megumi replied pursing her lips. '_Idiot._'

Her friend smiled and rolled his eyes before leading her to the main office.

* * *

"We have the same schedule, huh?" Megumi asked as she stared at the paper clutched in her hands, eyes taking notice that there were less people were in the halls than before. Was class going to start soon?

"Yeah. Hard to believe we got here, huh?" RiRi said as he looked around the beige-colored hallways of their new high school. It was Konoha High, a private high school that was the most famous school in their region. Not only was the school expensive, every student that attended had connections to someone famous or was exceptionally talented. It just so happened that the two of them were lucky enough to enter the school on scholarships: Megumi for her art skills and writing, and RiRi for charm and general artistry. "I still can't believe we made it," he whispered in awe.

"Whatever. School is still school, and chances are that we'll flunk out since we suck so badly at math."

"You're overreacting."

"We got C's! And if I remember correctly, our test grades combined warranted a super F. Not a regular F—we're too good for that. We got a _super_ F!"

"Details. Details," RiRi responded as if failure was the most harmless thing in the world.

Megumi rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I'm telling you; two, three months tops and we'll be back in public school working towards nine-to-five jobs like everyone else."

"My, my, aren't you the cynic?"

"Am not. I'm being realistic."

"Says the girl who told me over the phone five weeks ago that the milkman, the postman, and the cashier guy on 54th street were checking you out."

"They were! Just like—"

"Just like that guy in seventh grade. I've heard it already. You really need to stop thinking every guy is out to get you for some ulterior motive. You're overreacting. Can't you accept you're pretty?"

"I am not overreacting, and have you seen me lately? I'm 5'7"—which is freakishly tall for someone of my race and age—and look at my forehead! It's huge!"

"Mine's is bigger, and you're still overreacting."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"…Am not."

"Are too."

RiRi smirked. "So you do admit to overreacting…"

Her friend gaped openly, mouth flapping up and down as words struggled to form on her lips. "Wha—huh?—I—Gah! Damn it, I swear—

* * *

"Hello!" shouted a boy with a bowl-cut hairstyle, interrupting the argument and effectively garnering the attention of the two. The fact his smile was blinding also helped finish the effect. "My name is Lee. Welcome to Konoha High," he said as he extended his hand.

They looked at him with a confused expression, watching his large eyes blink as he awaited their handshake. A small glance between the two was exchanged before Megumi slowly extended her hand. A voice rang throughout the halls. "Lee? Lee?! Damn it, Lee!" the voice shouted before a male voice followed.

"Tenten, calm down. You're not going to find him by screaming into every hallway you see. And put away the knives. It's the first day of school. Wait until _tomorrow._"

RiRi and Megumi turned their heads to face the direction Lee's face was looking only to find a boy with long brown layered hair, blue-white eyes, and pale skin. Beside him stood a girl a few inches shorter than him, her brown hair placed into buns at the top of her head as a small throwing knife gleamed in her hand. Lee smiled.

"Neji! Tenten! I was just greeting the new students!" he exclaimed as Tenten pocketed her knife somewhere in her dress. How she did that (the girl's uniform had no pockets), Megumi didn't know, but both her and RiRi were intrigued to say the least. Lee turned to their audience. "This is…they're…"

Neji rolled his eyes. "You stunned another pair of students with your greetings and you don't even know their names? Typical."

"So what are your names, anyway?" Tenten asked.

"I'm Nakahara RiRi and this is Takano Megumi," the short-haired person introduced with a blinding smile.

Tenten nodded. "Tenten. Long-haired guy is Hyuuga Neji, cousin of Hyuuga Hinata, and you're already met Lee."

And just as Lee raised his hand to wave, a blur of yellow rushed the group, sending Lee screaming as he tried to buck the blonde boy off his shoulders.

"Bushy-brows!" the blonde screamed as he ruffled Lee's hair. Before Tenten could reach for Lee, a voice cut through the air.

"Naruto, stop harassing Lee," a red-head said calmly as he strode through the halls. He was tall, about the same height as Lee, with short red hair and dark rings around his aquamarine eyes, the kanji 'ai' tattooed on his forehead. The blonde stuck his tongue out in reply.

"You're no fun, Gaara," Naruto pouted, azure eyes shining brightly despite the dimly lit hallway. Gaara simply cocked his eyebrow, or rather, he would…if he had any. (A/N THIS IS A LOL-WORTHY MOMENT. WE COMMAND THAT YOU LOL. NAOOOO)

"Hn. It still doesn't change the fact you're an idiot." But Naruto smiled, eyes flashing and expression hungry as he slinked over to his new prey and skated his fingers over Gaara's collarbone. "But you like me that way," he purred as he slipped his fingers into Gaara's shirt, causing the pale boy to tense and flush and the new students to cringe slightly.

"What are they—?"

"They're boyfriends," Tenten whispered.

A small 'oh,' escaped the two's mouths. "Thanks for the heads up," said Megumi as she stared at a mesmerized RiRi. A bead of sweat slid down her face as Megumi shook her head side to side. '_Same old RiRi..._'

Tenten nodded and smiled, replying, "No problem."

* * *

"Oh, new faces," a new voice interrupted as the students began to disperse, all headed towards their classrooms. Brown eyes honed onto the intruder—a man with silver hair looking to be in his early thirties with an eye-patch and a face mask over the lower portion of his face.

The first thing that popped into both Megumi and RiRi's minds was, '_Is he sick_,' followed by an even more troubling '_Or perhaps... a yan'kii_?' (A/N: A yan'kii, or yankee, is the Japanese term for a street thug/punk, often a member of a gang. It is a common trend for yan'kii to wear a face mask; white and rectangular, and although other styles have shown up in visual kei, the white face mask is the classic sign of the yan'kii.)

"You must be my new students," he said with a pleasant smile before a look of hunger crossed his visible eye and his smile turned dark. "You better be on your best behavior. If you don't, I'll have to give you detention afterschool. Maybe even an oral-exam," he said, leaning his face dangerously close to Megumi's as he tapped the spine of a bright-orange book gently on her nose. She, in reply, stayed silent and flushed a bright red and watched him walk away before turning to her friend, who, to her surprise, seemed unfazed by the action. RiRi usually snapped back with a witty remark, or burst out laughing, contributing to the victim's embarrassment.

"Did you see that?!" exclaimed Megumi. "That teacher was just coming onto me. I'm going to sue that jerk! Am I overreacting now? Huh? Huh?"

Her friend looked at her flatly, his tone the same deep tenor-alto sound. "Yes… it seems like he's doing that to everyone," he replied just in time for her friend to hear a high-pitched squeal and the bright red flushing of another girl's face. Smirking, he looked over at the girl and winked. Embarrassment caused the girl's blush to spread further as she smiled back in feeble reply, only to turn her attention back to the teacher… who, in her brief moment of exposure, walked off to his next victim.

"Oh," replied a slightly shocked Megumi, who then turned her attention elsewhere… which wasn't too hard to do.

"KYAAAA!!" came the screams. Girl upon girl let out cries of congenial delight as Naruto groped Gaara, taking the main scene in the hallway. Neji, the close minded man he was, glared at the scene while Lee exclaimed the health benefits of the power of youth. Ten Ten only let out an exasperated sigh, mumbling something to herself about boys and their strange ways. And, speak of the devil, one rode past her on a dogsled, of which a small crowd of gym teachers followed soon afterwards. It was like Disney on ice… sort of. Megumi slowly turned to RiRi, whose left eye was twitching slightly. She sighed to herself. If this was any indication of what the coming year was to be, she'd rather be homeschooled.

--

Author's corner:

819: It's a new collab fic! Before we have to start dodging various items, hear me out. 102 wanted to do another collab fic between the two of us and since I still have problems saying no to her and other people, I said yes. The plot is pretty good from what she sent me (it's her plot, I'm just typing it out), and I hope we get reviews. They are much loved. Please and thank you.

(Explanation for Megumi's name: 819 got too lazy and too fearful of another computer crash to add another name to her dictionary, whereas 102 is a creative whore.)

102: My plot in a few words? Ah, let's see. How about: Fanservice and plot twists. And to add to that list: GALORE. Be prepared for the unexpected, ladies and gents. This isn't your ordinary 819/102 collab fic! I'm back and better than ever… with more craziness than you can handle! You'll leave comments. SO many comments. 400 comments. : By the way. More comments you leave, the more I'm motivated to draw. The more I'm motivated to write. The more I'm motivated to post. So. COMMENT NOW OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CLIFFHANGER DOOM.

The man'ga of this fanfic can be found at Deviant Art under the name NekoNoKuredoru.


	2. Ch 2: Only the First Day

Key: "talking"

'_Thinking'_

_Flashback_

(Standard key)

_Disclaimer: Do Not Own Naruto._

_--_

Chapter 2: Only the First Day

The classroom was bustling with life, and our two protagonists were eager to learn…

Aw what the hell. That's obvious bull. Here's what really happened.

"Hey catch!" called a voice from across the room as a star shaped object flew past Megumi and RiRi's heads. _Woosh_, and it took its rightful place in the wooden wall behind them. However, the two seemed unaffected as they slowly turned their heads to gaze at the origami shuriken. They stayed silent for a while... and then _it_ happened. A boy dressed in a padded grey fur jacket with tawny brown trim came up to them, scratching the back of his hooded head. "Sorry about that, guys…" he said with an awkward grin on his face. They looked in front of him slowly turned their heads back towards him, and stared blankly ahead.

Megumi, being the stoic and, usually, forgiving person she was, managed a wince and shook her head. "It's fine," she said, "Just don't let it happen again. Our reflexes aren't so refined—_mmff_!"

Kiba looked to the person next to the long-haired girl. This one donned a uniform much like his, though less stylized. '_A guy, huh_…' he thought to himself. Their eyes met—brown piercing into a deep azure blue, and left to analyze the other, to judge his worth. Kiba noted that this one wore a scarf around his neck, and it puzzled him. The weather was balmy, but it wasn't _that_ cold. He was pale, and had aquamarine hair--it didn't even seem like his true hair color. '_Bleached, probably_.' Judging by the way he reacted: His rudeness to the girl, brightly colored locks, and effeminate looks… '_Trouble_.' Kiba's eyes narrowed into a glare.

RiRi stared on back at the boy, and opened his mouth to speak. "Is there something I can help you with? Because if you're just going to insult Mecchin, I won't let you get away with that." He whipped his head to face Megumi, slowly stroking her cheek. "Are you alright? Mecchin…?"

"…" A vein appeared on Megumi's forehead, and she yanked RiRi down by his scarf. "Who the hell are you calling 'Mecchin'!? I am not an object for you to play around with!"

"But au contraire…"

"…"

"…"

Both of them grew silent, entering a glaring contest. Kiba slowly returned his hand to his side, confused. "Hey, anyone home?" he asked, waving a hand in front of their faces. "And who the hell is Mec—"

"MEGUMI-CHAN!" Before RiRi and Megumi knew it, the latter was tackled to the ground in a flash of blond.

"Oh, it's just you, Naruto," Megumi spoke as if unaffected, looking up at the familiar face.

"Aww, don't be like that," Naruto whined, bouncing up and down on the girl's back.

"Like what? And by the way, that hurts."

"Oh. Sorry about that," he apologized while getting up and offering her a hand.

"It's okay." Megumi reached to brush her clothes off, only to have her hand caught in between RiRi's once again.

Their eyes met.

"Let me," spoke the blue-haired boy. With pale hands and longer fingers, paired up with the flexibility of double joints, the work was over almost immediately.

"Ah!" came the shout.

"Hn?" The pair both turned to look at Naruto at the same time.

"Is something the matter?" RiRi asked.

"Hehe!" Naruto grinned and placed his hands behind his head. "Nothing, nothing… It's just that you two really look like a couple, you know!"

Megumi's face grew deathly pale and she walked away silently. After scuffling to the door, she braced herself for the fastest run of her life. However, before that, she turned to look at the room, a possessed look in her eye… that seemed directly pointed towards RiRi, raising a pointed, shaking hand. "You… I'll never forgive you for this…" she spoke with a hiss before turn her head to cover the lower portion of her face. "Now if you'll excuse me while I puke my guts out…!" And with that she was gone.

The classroom was left in a silence... But that was soon fixed.

* * *

"Wow, you really are something… School hasn't even started yet, and you've already chased away one of the new students. How _do_ you manage it?" came the question.

Shivers ran down RiRi's spine. The voice came from behind, and RiRi was one who hated surprises, though he committed many of them himself.

"Tch." Naruto grinned and brushed the bridge of his nose with his thumb. "It was noth—HEY!! What did that mean SA—"

"My, my, only the first day and you two are already at it," came a high pitched voice.

RiRi nearly had a heart attack. '_A girl…_' he figured. The voice didn't sound male, and even if it was, the speech pattern was that of a female's. He turned his head to look at the girl. She had short, light pink hair and a complexion to match. Her eyes were a bit dull as well—a cloudy green. A thin build only added to the girl's femininity. '_Not much of a threat…_'

"Ah, Sakura-chan, you're here too?"

"Yeah," the girl stated, walking over to accompany the raven-haired boy, hugging his arm. She blushed and smiled. "Sasuke-kun and I walked here together." To this, Sasuke averted his eyes to hide what little affection shown through them. However, he surrendered his arm to the girl. After all, the rule goes for that once you get into a relationship, your arm becomes a pillow. Still, such tactics could not dissuade one persistent boy.

"Oh?" came the suggestive remark. Naruto raised his eyebrows and winked. "And I bet you took your time too, eh, Sas—" And a foot immediately slammed into the blonde's nether region.

"Hn?" Naruto remained standing, and grinned as Sasuke attempted a few more kicks. He even put his hands upon his hips for dramatic effect. "Why doesn't it affect you?" Sasuke seethed after his eighth kick.

"Well, that answer's simple, Sasuke! Of course, none other than me, the GREAT UZUMAKI NARUTO, would know of this valuable secret! Yes, my intelligence surpasses that of even Sasuke's now, does it? Well, of course it does! I've been studying all summer and…"

A vein appeared on Sasuke's head. "Get on with it already!" he demanded.

"OH?" Naruto's mouth opened widely and he pointed at Sasuke. "Hey! If you're going to be so rude, then I might just not tell you at all!"

"What was that!"

"You heard me!"

The two locked heads, grinding their teeth. Sakura sighed and smiled to herself. '_Those two are always the same, aren't they…?_' she thought to herself. '_But I can't shake this feeling that there's someone else here…_' The tips of her hair sliced through the wind as she turned around. RiRi's azure eyes were locked on the girl's features.

* * *

All this time, RiRi was observing the girl. Analyzing her, even. But really, with all the noise in the vicinity, he couldn't concentrate on his thoughts at all. '_Really, boys are such idiots…_' Resting his head upon his hand, placing his elbow on the table for leverage, he closed his eyes and spoke, "It's a cup."

Sasuke turned his attention to RiRi, and his eyes narrowed into a glare. "You stay out of this, newcomer."

RiRi shifted his eyes over to the boy. "Oh? At least I have enough sense not to kick a man in his jewels," he retorted.

"What was that?"

"You have ears." Now quiet, RiRi turned his attention back towards Sakura. '_So these two are lovers, huh? In my opinion, they don't exactly…_' His eyes shifted back over towards the raven-haired boy. '_…match._'

It may have only been a second or two, but that was more than over the line. '_That bastard!_' Sasuke grabbed RiRi by the collar and slammed him into the wall. "You just looked at my girl."

"It was just a glance," RiRi replied. '_What's with this guy?_'

"No, it wasn't! You were ogling her like she was some sort of meat byproduct!" Sasuke slammed his fist into the wall, causing the classroom to shake and fall into silence.

"We should go," Kiba whispered to his group, as they filtered out into the hall. He followed alongside his companions, stuffing his hands into his pockets. '_Poor guy. I don't really like him, but it's his first day. One of those types, huh…? Too bad that he had to get caught up with that Sasuke… That guy's lethal when he's like this. Still, he's usually got a pretty good head on his shoulders, despite his tendency to be a jerk off. Wonder what got him all hot and bothered. And it's only the first day...'_

A nervous Naruto tried to play the role of mediator between the two parties. "G-guys, don't fight… Come on, we've just got back to school—"

Sasuke whipped his head and glared at the oh-so-benevolent idiot. "Stay out of this, Blondie."

"But Sasuke—" Naruto held back a gasp as his and Sasuke's eyes met. Tuffs of red and black swirled around the young boy's eyes. "Sasuke, you aren't serious about this, are you?"

"I am, and if you don't want to be caught up in it, I suggest you take Sakura and stay back."

"But that's a little too much, don't you think?"

"He _looked_ at Sakura."

"Actually, I was assessing her worth," RiRi mumbled to himself, looking off to the side. If these two idiots would just keep on fussing over such a slight issue as this, then there really was no reason for them to be able to hear such a tiny thing like one's thoughts spoken out loud to oneself.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?"

'_Oh shit_.' RiRi kept his gaze at the chalkboard, feigning ignorance. '_It's a nice chalkboard_…' he noted.

"You… were _assessing _her? On what grounds did you even _think_ that you have the authority to judge people like that?"

'_Black, unlike those green ones at my old school…_'

"Are you even listening!?" Sasuke's line of vision stayed affix at RiRi's face, waiting for some type of answer.

"I wonder how greatly the contrast will increase…"

But that wasn't the right one.

"YOU…!" He clenched his fist, tighter than before, and slammed it into the left side of RiRi's face.

The pain was unbearable.

Or at least, it would be, for "normal" people. RiRi slowly raised a hand to his face, and touched the corner of his mouth. '_Blood_.' Not only that, but it felt as if his nose was broken. He took in a breath. Yeah. It was broken. Definitely. Eyes narrowing, he looked up and glared at Sasuke, who had an accomplished look on his face.

"You still feel like 'assessing' now, bastard?"

Raising his hand to his lips, RiRi sighed. "Not really. Just analyzing the situation now." He lapped up the blood and squatted, about to get up when he looked at Sakura again in an attempt to finish up his last train of thought.

No sooner did RiRi turn to gaze upon the young maiden did Sasuke deliver another blow, sending RiRi back down to the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke, that's enough—"

"YOU STAY OUT OF IT!" He stomped towards RiRi, who was struggling to get up.

'_Damned upper body strength…_' he thought to himself before being pulled up by his hair. "Tss…." He gasped out in pain.

"And you…" Sasuke shook RiRi's head, watching the poor boy suffer as he was being jerked back and forth. "LOOK at me when I'm talking to you, DAMMIT."

"I'd rather not look at a man who's into domestic violence…"

"WHAT!"

RiRi looked at Sasuke apathetically and then turned his attention to Sakura. "Rather, I feel sorry for your girlfriend. From the looks of her, she bruises easy—_Huuhn!!_"

Sasuke's fist collided with RiRi once more, this time, into the solar plexus. Once. Twice. Three times. His other hand held RiRi's head in place, making escape nearly impossible. "Why don't you fight back, huh?" Sasuke taunted. "Maybe you're the one that's into DV…!" Reaching his right arm back, and nearly scalping the young teen, he quickly sent force down into the floor, and RiRi's skull along with it.

A small pool of blood gathered where he began to cough, making space that would allow him to speak. "The term… is S&M…" _Cough._ RiRi looked over his shoulder and smirked. "I'll give you one guess as to which part I'm assigned, although you've already got it figured ou—_mmff!_" Sasuke slammed him into the floor once again.

"In that case, I'll make it so that you'll never wish for the pleasure of pain again…"

"Oh? And how would that be? AGHHH!"

Sasuke pulled RiRi's hair—hard—and stood over him. "In that case, I'll show you how." His eyes widened. "Man'gyooku Shari—"

* * *

All of a sudden, Sasuke was hoisted up into the air. "Tsk tsk. Sasuke, I'm surprised at you. Only the first day, and already you're in a fight?" Kakashi looked down at the ground at RiRi. "And with the new kid, too."

"Like I give a d—_mmff_."

Kakashi clamped his hand over the young boy's mouth. "Tut tut. We're in school. Keep it clean…" As Sasuke struggled for air, the silver haired man crouched down and looked RiRi over, who managed to find his knees. "He sure did a number on you, didn't he? …Naruto. Sakura. Carry RiRi to the infirmary."

"Hai!" Naruto bent down and squatted, back towards RiRi. "Here. I'll carry you."

RiRi's eyes narrowed. "I've more pride than that," he spoke, standing up, slightly wobbly. '_Tch._'

Naruto got up and sighed. "You really are stubborn."

"So I've been told."

"Well, let's go. The infirmary is this way." Naruto walked ahead, shrugging absentmindedly as he did so. RiRi followed along, pausing to look back over his shoulder at Sakura, who seemed to be taking her dear sweet time. It seemed as if she was trying to get an audience with Kakashi. Sasuke still hung over the man's shoulder, though he seemed to show no signs of hostility. At least, not from RiRi's point of view. It was like he was a different man altogether. '_Sasuke…huh?_'

The boy closed his eyes and slumped against Kakashi's shoulder. He only opened them momentarily to look at Sakura with eyes of regret as he was carried off to the principal's office. Sakura followed behind, even as Kakashi increased his pace. He sighed. "Sakura. Infirmary. **Now**."

"B-but, sen'sei, can't I do something? There are many trained nurses there, so why can't I follow you—"

"Sakura," he said with a stern tone. "Have you forgotten the oath you took upon becoming a nursing assistant?"

"…" Sakura merely hung her head in shame.

"I'm sure Tsunade-sama would be disappointed in you."

"N-nn…" The girl was shaking uncontrollably as she pivoted. "I understand my duties."

"Good."

And with that, the two groups parted ways, the only similarity between the two groups being one lone thought:

'_And it's only the first day…_'

--

819: FINALLY. The second chapter. What the hell took you so long!?

102: Well, I had a contest coming up, and then I kept getting loaded with homework and I had to make presents and and and…

819: Let's hope I don't have to pester you so much again.

102: I still have all of Blood Contract to finish, you know.

819: …I hate you.

102: I know.


	3. Ch 3: Still Only the First Day

Key: "talking"  
'_Thinking'  
__Flashback_

(Standard key)

--

Chapter 3: Still Only the First Day

The principal's office was not the best place to be, that much Sasuke understood. The fact it was only the first day and he had his homeroom teacher looming by his shoulder only compounded that ideal.

"Having fun?" Kakashi asked, his lone eye focusing on the boy sitting beside him.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in return and Kakashi went on reading his book. This was not unusual. They'd known each other for years and being from the same mold of people, many of their deep conversations had been communicated in grunts and vague sentences. Suddenly, the door creaked open and Sasuke stood from his seat.

"The principal will see you now," said the secretary, a timid woman named Shizune. Catching their gaze with her dark eyes, she beckoned them over with a dainty hand and led them through the threshold.

Now, there were many things he knew and expected from the principal. The principal was a known pervert. He was also the author of the hentai novels Kakashi read and if schmoozed enough, would start singing horrible renditions of songs from musicals. Those were things that he expected from his principal, but what he didn't expect was his principal being a girl.

"…Who are you and what happened to Jiraiya?" Sasuke asked the woman sitting before him.

"I'm Tsunade, the superintendant. I'll be substituting for Jiraiya. As for where the damn fart went, he left a message on my desk saying that he had research to do and that I had to fill in for him while he was gone. Stupid pervert," Tsunade grumbled with a scowl as she folded her arms under her massive chest. Had it been any other student than Sasuke, the floor would've been covered in blood.

"Hn."

"Introductions aside, do you know why you're here, Uchiha-san?"

"It's because I punched a guy, right?" Sasuke asked with a bored note in his voice before flopping down in the chair across from Tsunade's desk. This wasn't anything new. He'd been getting into fights even before dating Sakura. It just so happened that he'd been getting into more since going out with her. It wasn't his fault. People kept eyeing his girl. They should've known better to mess with anything affiliated with Uchiha.

Glancing up to see Tsunade exchange looks with his teacher, he immediately realized something was wrong. If it was as simple as punching a guy, they would've marked it in his record, slapped him with detention for a week or two, and be done with it, but something was wrong.

* * *

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, voice quavering slightly at the change in the air and the wary glances they sent to each other. Tsunade beckoned her secretary. "Shizune, close the door."

Footsteps echoed through the hallways as Sakura ran to the infirmary where she assisted at. Shizune, who was the secretary, was also the school nurse, but between organizing Jiraiya (and now Tsunade's) paperwork and taking phone calls, it was no wonder she needed help and since Sakura was planning on becoming a nurse, who better to do it?

"This way," she directed herself, skidding down a small hallway to her left before arriving at the door marked 'infirmary.' She opened it.

"Sakura-chan! There you are! I was just telling the new kid about you!" Naruto grinned, sitting on one of the cots. RiRi merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"Uhh…yeah…" Sakura said absentmindedly as a billion thoughts raced across her head. Assess patient situation. Deep bruising on face, broken nose, and knowing Sasuke, a possible aneurysm.

"Any nausea or dizziness?" Sakura called out over her shoulder as she rooted through the cabinets. Looking over her shoulder to see RiRi shake his head, she sighed in relief and grabbed the ice packs from the small refrigerator by the sink.

"Here," she said with annoyance.

Realizing the pink-haired female was referring to him, RiRi took the ice pack from her and pressed it to his cheek, letting a small moan escape his swollen lip at the difference in temperature. Sakura took a steadying breath. The room was quiet.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you. Sasuke…he isn't normally like that. He's just very overprotective of me."

RiRi merely grunted in disinterest.

"Look. I know you probably don't care about my opinion, but Sasuke isn't what you think at all. He may look like a jerk, but he's actually really nice and sweet once you get to know him," she said with the expression only a girl in love could have. Seeing this, Riri stared ahead at the opposite wall before exhaling on a sigh.

"I think I know what you mean," Riri said smiling softly. His eyes were staring at her, yet he wasn't focused on her as if thinking of someone else somewhere and briefly, Sakura wondered who it was he was thinking about.

Reaching forward, she took RiRi's hand and laid it by his side. Despite the bruise on his face, his skin was quite smooth and she covered it with a bandage before working on the broken nasal bridge. A few minutes later, she was done.

"Thank you," RiRi said. Sakura shook her head. "It's no problem…really."

"So how do you think teme is?"

"I don't know, Naruto. This isn't the first time he's been in a fight, but I heard from Shizune-senpai that we have a new principal this year. I hope they let him off easy. It's only the first day! They'll let him off, right?"

"I don't know. From what I hear, the substitute is a real hard-ass," Naruto said, nodding in agreement with himself. A voice interrupted the conversation.

"How long have you known each other?" As they had learned by now, despite his fragile looks, RiRi was surprisingly blunt.

"I think it's since…elementary school," Naruto said, looking up at the ceiling as he pondered. "I even have pictures!"

But before the photo-sharing could commence, a clatter sounded in the hallways.

"Hey. Think you can try waiting until we get into the room?" one voice asked with slight exasperation.

"But you know how impatient I am. I think you are too…" purred another voice. Soon after that, the doorknob began to jiggle before opening to reveal two tall boys. One had black shoulder-length feathered hair with silver eyes, and the other had spiked red hair with amber eyes. The red-head blinked.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"I'm the nursing assistant and I'm taking care of these people. Besides, I should be asking you that. You guys are seniors!" Sakura spat defensively.

"Well, we just wanted to get away for a little while," the red-head said silkily, draping his arm over who the group assumed to be his lover. He merely stayed still, eyes staring blankly at the group. His eyes locked on Riri and his arm slowly rose. Riri held his breath.

"Birds," the lanky teen said pointing out the window to the tree outside and sure enough, two birds were nestling together on the branch.

The teen continued to observe the two birds, watching as one hopped from one end of the branch to another when he felt eyes on him. Turning his head, he saw a pair of azure eyes.

"Something on my face?"

And something unexpected happened. RiRi blushed. In the approximate hour that Sakura and Naruto knew RiRi, they knew he wasn't the type of person to blush.

"Sorry. Thought you were someone I knew," RiRi explained. The dark-haired boy blinked.

"Mmm…I don't think so. I've never met you before."

"…Oh," RiRi said flatly. If Sakura and Naruto didn't know better, they would've thought he sounded disappointed by the senior's answer. The red-haired teen waved over to his friend.

"Hey. I think we better get going before—"

"Before what?"

The red-head turned his head to see a dark-haired boy with glasses and smiled hesitantly.

"Oh, Class Representative Abe-san. Hello," he greeted uneasily when the brunette placed his face against the red-head's and pushed his glasses up.

"Hiroshi Akemi. I notice you still have that horrendous hairdo. Red spikes do nothing for your eyes," he commented. Looking over the sweating Akemi's shoulder, he corrected his glasses. "I see you and Ishihara Masato are skipping class for another canoodling moment. What punishment should we give today?" he asked with a hint of wickedness, his glasses flashing dangerously in the light.

As suddenly as the representative came, he grabbed both boys by the ears and commenced dragging them out of the infirmary. Akemi managed to pull his ear away and began the motions of running, but Abe was surprisingly quick. Grabbing the boy's leg, he began dragging his prey away and Akemi's screams for help as they left went unanswered and echoed down the hallways. A body entered the doorway.

"What was that all about?" a voice murmured softly. Naruto grinned ear to ear.

"Megumi-chan!!" he screamed, getting up from his seat to hug the stoic girl. The raven-haired teen merely accepted the gesture awkwardly as RiRi immediately perked up and grinned like their favorite blonde. Watching RiRi's glowing reaction, Sakura reached a conclusion.

"Ah! So you're the person RiRi-san was talking about! You're his girlfriend!"

And as soon as those words left Sakura's mouth, Megumi's expression went blank and fainted onto the floor.

As Naruto began to freak out and ask how this happened, Sakura began to calmly wonder how they were going to get the girl onto the bed from the doorway when she felt arms wrap around her. Instantly, she knew who it was.

"Sasuke-kun? Is everything alright? Are you—?"

Sasuke hushed her with his finger. "I'm fine. I'm not suspended or anything. Now stop looking like you're going to cry," he said brushing Sakura's tear away with his finger. Sakura sniffled and nodded.

"What happened here?" Kakashi asked, breaking up the lovey-dovey scene as he stared at the unconscious girl on the floor.

"I don't know. I just said how happy I was to meet RiRi-san's girlfriend when she fainted," Sakura explained.

Kakashi nodded sagely and sighed. "Well, better get her up from the floor. Come here, you're not skipping my class so early in the year."

Kneeling down, he picked up the girl and with a grunt, threw her over his shoulder, carrying her like a bag of flour as he walked down the hall, his students following him.

* * *

819: Done! :raises flag of surrender before slapping Zenon's hand: Your problem now. You better deliver, especially on Blood Contract, _which I am still waiting to read!!_


End file.
